Inside the cell, the atmosphere was still submerged in that same heavy silence.
Aaya had knelt down beside the two silent children.
She gently tapped the shoulder of one with her small fingers.
"Will... will you play with us too? Look outside, there's so much light!" Aaya asked chirpily.
But the children didn't even blink.
They remained cold and lifeless, like carvings in stone.
A confused sadness washed over Aaya's innocent face.
Suddenly, Yuki clutched his head with both hands.
He couldn't bear this suffocating silence any longer.
"Haru... I'm going outside," he said, taking a deep breath.
"I'm going to join Luka and Lane. That light outside is probably better than being in here."
Yuki's mind was weary of the silence.
Leaving Haru there, he stepped toward the artificial white light with hurried steps.
There was a small spark of joy in his heart at the thought of joining Luka and Lane.
He thought he would become part of their play and laughter again.
But as soon as Yuki crossed the threshold of the cell and stepped onto the open field, the faint smile on his face vanished.
The scene ahead was terrifying.
There was no laughter, no running.
He saw Luka still sitting against the wall, but he wasn't awake.
Luka's face was drenched in sweat, and he was sobbing in his sleep, trapped in some deep pain.
Yuki's throat suddenly went dry.
He scanned the entire field like a madman, but he saw nothing but emptiness.
He rushed to Luka and shook him, screaming, "Luka! Wake up! Luka, open your eyes!"
Luka let out a deep groan, but his eyes remained shut.
Yuki grabbed his shoulder firmly and shrieked, "Luka... where is Lane? Where did Lane go?!"
The cold silence sprawling across that white field was answer enough to Yuki's question.
Far away, near that white railing where the light cascaded like an infinite ocean, there was no sign of Lane.
Lane had vanished somewhere behind that light.
Yuki's screams failed to pierce the deep layers of Luka's sleep.
Luka remained trapped in the shadow of that horrific pain.
When no response came, Yuki's heart began to sink.
He looked out at the infinite expanse of the field where the artificial light stung his eyes.
But there was no sign of Lane.
"Maybe... maybe he went there," Yuki whispered.
His eyes fixed on the white railing that stood far from the cell.
"I should go and look right where we first found Lane."
Fear made Yuki's limbs turn cold.
He couldn't muster the courage to venture into that unknown field alone.
He took a few steps back and reached the dark mouth of the cell again.
"Haru! Can you... can you help us?" His voice was trembling.
Haru rose slowly from the plank and emerged from the darkness to the threshold.
A strange calm rested on his face.
"Help?" Haru repeated softly.
"You were just talking about going away from me, Yuki. Now suddenly you need me?"
"Lane is missing, Haru!" Yuki shrieked, nearly in tears.
"He's nowhere here. Will you come with me to find him?"
Haru turned his gaze toward the field.
"If he isn't here, it's obvious he went straight toward that white railing. Why don't you look there?"
"There are so many railings, Haru!"
Yuki pointed toward the tangled structure in the distance that looked like a labyrinth.
"Finding him alone will be difficult. Please, come along."
Haru took a long breath and interlaced his long fingers.
"Alright," he said briefly.
He stepped out of the cell, ready to accompany Yuki.
But as they both entered the field, they saw that Luka was no longer there.
Luka had awakened from his painful sleep and, without waiting for anyone, had already charged far ahead.
Like a wounded lion, he was heading toward the railing with frantic steps.
Yuki and Haru looked at each other and began to run after him.
As they reached the center of the field, the terrain began to change.
Where their feet had been landing on a flat, cold floor until now, jagged rocks had emerged.
The path was no longer easy.
Sharp bushes and strange spikes began to appear between the stones.
Gleaming like cold weapons in the artificial light.
With every step, the danger was deepening.
Yuki and Haru quickened their pace, chasing Luka's fading shadow.
The flat floor of the field was now left behind, replaced by large mounds of earth.
They struggled to find a path through the dust and jagged rocks, but Lane was nowhere to be seen.
Right behind them, Aaya's tiny feet were also touching the dirt.
She was running after them with all her might.
"Brother! Wait... I'm scared!" she called out in her small voice.
But her plea was lost in the vast silence of the field.
Yuki and Haru were focused only on the white railing ahead; they didn't look back even once.
They had no idea that the little soul was following them through that dark and rocky terrain.
When they reached the white railing, Luka didn't stop.
In one swift motion, he crossed it and vanished into the mysterious settlement beyond.
Moments later, Yuki and Haru also crossed over.
The scene there was entirely different—small houses stood there, but there was no movement.
Everything was so quiet, it felt like a graveyard.
They ran to the end of the settlement, where a massive gateway loomed.
There was no door, just a dense, pitch-black darkness ready to swallow them like a cavern.
At the mouth of that terrifying darkness, Luka stood frozen.
Right in front of Luka stood Lane.
Lane was clutching his head tightly with both hands, as if his skull were about to burst.
There was no innocence in his eyes anymore, only a chilling emptiness.
"Luka..." Lane's voice echoed like a cold shiver.
Looking into Luka's eyes, he said, "Can you... can you go away from me?"
"I... I don't feel good right now. Something... something very bad is happening inside me."
Lane's body was trembling slightly, and the cold wind emanating from that black darkness was tossing his hair.
Luka stood paralyzed.
Unsure whether to embrace his companion or flee from the one whose energy no longer felt like that of an innocent child, but that of a predator.
The air in the field had become as heavy as toxic smoke.
With every step Luka took, the shadow within Lane grew denser.
The golden glint in Lane's eyes had vanished completely.
As if a lit lamp had been tossed into a bottomless well.
Haru screamed, "Luka! Stop!" but it was too late.
Involuntarily, Lane flicked his hand through the air.
And the uncontrollable dark energy struck Luka, Haru, and Yuki directly.
They were tossed like dry leaves and landed far away.
Lane's heart sank. "Stay back!" he said in a broken voice. "Go away from here!"
When Luka stood up to approach again, Lane made a terrifying decision.
He struck his own chest to restrain his 'dark side.'
Blood flowed from the deep wound, but the searing pain granted him a few moments of control.
He unleashed one final, powerful 'slash' into the air.
Creating a whirlwind that thrust Luka, Haru, and Yuki straight into the dense, black gateway.
Lane did not collapse.
He remained seated, braced by his trembling legs and hands on the ground.
Despite the trauma, he was still somewhat conscious; a small part of his awareness remained awake.
Just then, Aaya ran toward him.
Before Lane could push her toward the safety of the gateway, a mysterious portal tore open in the air and sucked her inside.
As Aaya vanished, Lane's strength began to fade.
Yet he did not spiral into total darkness just yet.
His consciousness flickered like a dying flame.
A little girl approached him.
Lane muttered, "You're back? Are you lost again?"
But as she drew closer, her body transformed, growing until she stood before him as a young woman.
Lane watched her through blurred eyes.
His fading awareness clinging to her mysterious presence before finally plunging into the void.